- We're joined by State Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz, who's the deputy minority leader in the assembly.

Assemblywoman, you joined us on another segment talking about a whole range of issues, largely about nursing, and a little bit on childcare as well, but I wanted to make sure we talked about this topic.

There are many women who have left the state legislature, and I don't mean just members of the assembly running for the Senate.

I mean people who just quit.

There's a young assemblywoman, A woman of color, who served one term in the legislature and then dropped out along with many others.

What is going on, Assemblywoman?

- Well, obviously I can't speak for Assemblywoman Jaffer.

It was a personal decision.

I was on an interview with Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson, and she said that it's hard, but I say that this work is hard, and we should stick it out, and we need to do the work.

Many of the women on my side of the aisle were taken out not voluntarily.

Some of them were taken out because they were replaced by people within their own party at the primary level, and that's unfortunate because we lose years of experience, and that experience brings with it an understanding of how the process works and how to get things done.

Unfortunately, people go after in the election the woman oftentimes.

- What do you mean?

I'm sorry, Assemblywoman.

What do you mean go after the woman?

- Well, for instance, they will target Assemblywoman X and say, "You know, we're gonna run a primary against her rather than her running mate, who may be a male."

And I think that goes back maybe to the county line, to the county chairs- - The old party bosses?

Is that what we're talking about?

- Yeah, I mean, county chairmen or however you wanna call them.

And we have two really very, very effective women in District 11, which is Monmouth County, and they're working really hard, and their targets are on their back, and so I don't know if it's a perception, but I really think that the women do bring a unique perspective.

I worked in a profession, that was male-dominated for many, many years, meaning like healthcare.

Not nursing, 'cause nursing is still predominantly female.

But, we worked with males, which Medicine was predominantly male back in my early days.

And we learned to fight and stand up for what we believe in.

And the women who I know who have decided not to run, one of them it was decided for her, it wasn't her choice.

And so I think that that's an issue, and we have to look at that more than, I don't think that women- I wouldn't say the women are being more harassed or anything like that because I think that we're in a different world than we were years ago.

- But how is it in a party's interest, be it the Democratic or Republican party, to target women in office when more than half of the people who vote are women?

- I absolutely agree.

And, again, the women in 11 are being targeted not by my party but by the other party.

So, it'’s not... Perhaps it's a perception- - Excuse me, is it about running men against them?

- Actually, you know what?

I don't know.

I think that they may be females, but the point is, like ... in my district when I was the only female, I would be the person that would be targeted.

Now, I was there for less time, so perhaps that was why.

But you know, now I have- It's about raising money too, Steve.

- Is it harder to raise money- I'm sorry for interrupting.

Is it harder to raise money, in your opinion, as a woman in elective office, particularly in the legislature, than it is for a man?

It's hard to raise money any level on public television.

Trust me, I know.

But it's harder, and, if so, why is that?

- Well, I believe it's harder to raise money depending on your profession.

If you have certain professions, it's easier to raise money.

As a nurse, it's harder to raise money because there's no incentive, like I can offer nobody anything.

However, that being said, being the deputy minority leader and also being a member of the Budget Committee, having powerful positions, and the way you get there is by length of service, and we don't have length of service for very many females, and that's part of the problem is we need length of service to get you to the point where you could raise the money.

We only had four or five of us before this last election.

Now suddenly there were seven and two of them are not running for reelection, so we're losing females, so we don't have that length of service, and, again, it depends on what your profession is.

Certain professions have a much easier time raising money than others.

- Before I let you go, you, your family, your late husband, Dr. Eric Munoz, a great family friend of ours and just an extraordinary physician leader at University Hospital for many years in the Trauma area, and just look up Dr. Eric Munoz, also a member of the state legislature.

There's something you wanna share about University Hospital.

What is that?

- What I wanna share about University Hospital.

As a member of the Budget Committee, I'm appalled and it's unconscionable the way that they're treating University Hospital in this budget process.

University Hospital is only public hospital in the state of New Jersey.

It's a Level One Trauma Center for the northern part of the state, and it's renowned as a trauma center.

When this budget came down, it's only budgeted for $35 million for operational needs.

That doesn't even meet what they need for operational needs.

When I questioned the treasurer about this, I said, "Where did you come up with that number?"

They said, "It's flat-funded from last year."

I said, "It was inadequate last year."

Their hospital emergency room, which serves so many of us and could serve every single person in this state, if necessary, if needed, as a victim of trauma, it was built for 50,000 patient visits per year and is seeing over 100,000 patients.

- Why would the governor and the governor's office do that?

- Well, I asked that question.

I was simply given a blank look.

Steve, their HVAC system does not work if it's less than 17 degrees or greater than 88 degrees.

That means that if it's freezing out, the staff is running around putting blankets on patients.

The operating rooms are too small.

The trauma units, which have saved countless numbers of people, are too small and they're separated by curtains.

I was told by a plastic surgery resident, much of their work is done in the emergency room, that a police officer had to hold a flashlight so that she could suture a prisoner in the hall.

The lack of privacy, the lack of dignity in that place where the patients deserve it.

University Hospital deserves more, and shame on the State for not allocating more money.

They're asking for $400 million just for operational costs just to get started.

But at the very least, have a sit down, have a conversation.

We have one public hospital in the state, a place where any one of us who gets in a car accident, and I pointed this out in every single committee meeting I had with every commissioner, could end up there.

We need to do better for this.

Newark deserves better.

- Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz, I assure you we will ask the governor those questions and the Commissioner of Health and any other member of the Murphy administration involved in that decision.

We're taping this right before the end of the budget cycle, which is June 30th.

We'll see what's actually in that budget.

Assemblywoman, thank- - Just to be clear, as the minority party, we have not seen those final numbers, so that was the number that was given to me when they came before us initially.

- Got it.

We'll stay on top of it.

- Thank you, Assemblywoman.

- Thank you so much.

- Stay with us.

We'll be right back.

- [Narrator] Think Tank with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

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